Class Notes

1943-2
The Maine State Ferry Service will unveil a new $9 million ferry to serve the island of Vinalhaven beginning in May. The new ferry is named after Richard G. Spear, class of 1943-2, and will replace the Capt. Charles Philbrook, which has serviced the route for the past 30 years. In 1942, Spear enrolled in the second class of the newly established Maine Maritime Academy and graduated with honors and a third mate’s license. In the Merchant Marine during World War II, Capt. Spear served in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean war zones. In 1959, he became the first employee and assistant manager of the Maine State Ferry Service. Later appointed manager of the Ferry Service, he held that position for 30 years until his retirement in 1989.
1949
Willard Robinson and his wife, Barbara, have moved, after living in Vernon, Connecticut for almost 53 years, to a retirement home, The Arbors, in the nearby town, Manchester.
1951
After a 50-year career sailing for American Export Lines, selling for IBM, and in design and leadership roles in the footwear manufacturing industry, Richard Anzelc took up art. Currently, at age 91, he continues to take art classes and sell his art. L.L. Bean is his biggest customer; they own more than 60 of his images. You can view Dick’s art in the L.L.Bean Home Store, and also at Portland Head Light and West Quoddy Light gift shops.

Entrepreneur

Shoreside Ship Management

JOHN “CHIP” CALLAN ’88 knows ships, business, and people.

Callan sailed briefly in the commercial fleet after graduating, but decided to steer his career ashore. He worked his way up to increasing levels of responsibility in the U.S. Navy fleet maintenance and modernization defense industry for 24 years, internationally and stateside. During this time, he called Washington, D.C., Norfolk, San Diego, and Sasebo, Japan home.

“Those were exciting times,” he says, “being able to move on-site for six or seven months and meet interesting people and learn from different practices and customs.”

In 2012, Callan and his wife, Michelle, by this time both successful industry veterans, started Invictus Associates—he as COO and Michelle as Owner—headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia. The company specializes in providing senior- and mid-level maintenance management to both commercial and government customers. The company has a track record of achievement in technical marine engineering, life cycle reviews, program management, ship operations, new construction, and vessel repair experience in the commercial maritime and naval government sector.

“We bring demonstrated experience in estimating, planning, and execution of validated maintenance and modernization requirements for in-service U.S. Navy surface ships, both internationally and stateside,” says Callan.

1958
Frank Tepedino has undertaken “The MMA Barristers” project, identifying MMA alumni who have become lawyers. The listing, including brief bios and contact information, will be used as a resource for aspiring MMA students and alumni who may be considering law school. So far, the project has yielded 12 attorneys with varying backgrounds and experience. They are: Frank Tepedino ’58, Gene Silva ’64, Michael Savasuk ‘74, Michael Chambers ’80, Chris Devlin ‘80, John Webb ’83, Mark Winter ’88, Rob Burger ’93, Brett Witham ’93, Thomas Brown ’00, Andrew Strosahl ’05, and Jenna (Algee) Giguere ’08. If you know someone wishing to be added to the list, contact Tepedino at condorgrup@aol.com.
1962
Robert S. Bartek “… wanted to let my surviving classmates know I am still doing marine surveys six days a week, and supporting the Scotch Distilling Industry. Just attended another funeral today for a member of the maritime industry, always younger than myself! MMA taught me to be ‘the Last Man Standing.’ See you at the next reunion.”
1962
Peter Diakos has written two books: The Circle (2018) and The Rose (2019). Diakos found work with the Graybar Electric Company, and following a few moves, transferred to Boston where he retired after 30 years. He dabbled in real estate, owning various rental properties. Upon retirement, Diakos traveled to Clearwater, Florida where he met his wife, Nancy. They live in Trinity, Florida and summer in Maine.
1968
Jim Pece reports he is retired and lives in Edgewater, New Jersey.
1971
Dave Sulin participated in the Annual Gettysburg Remembrance Day parade and ceremonies on November 19, 2019. Sulin notes, “During the parade, I had the honor of carrying the National Colors for the Sharpshooters. Of course, they picked the oldest guy there, the one with the bad knees, and the one carrying a complete (nearly 45-pound) knapsack AND Sharps rifle. In fact, it was the senior citizens in the group who carried the backpacks; the young guys wimped out. I had a good Plebe year!” During the Civil War, there were two green-uniformed regiments in service of the Union Army. These were the First and Second Regiments of United States Sharpshooters, very much celebrated and publicized units in their time.”

first person

Underwater Matters

I AM A 2006 GRADUATE of the Corning School of Ocean Studies at MMA and have my B.S. in Marine Biology. I currently work as an aquarist at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, where I specialize in the husbandry of marine and freshwater fish, elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), aquatic turtles, and invertebrates.

The aquarium has some 800,000 gallons of fresh and saltwater displays. The largest is the shark tank, about 200,00 gallons with a variety of species, most of which are local. We have thousands of animals representing more than 200 species.

My daily work includes care for all of our marine and freshwater fish, invertebrates, sea turtles, freshwater aquatic turtles, and our stingrays and sharks as well. That includes tasks such as diet preparation and feeding, behavioral training that we do for some of the animals, exhibit and holding maintenance, diving, medical procedures, and providing enrichment for animals.

Diets are carefully managed for each animal—we consider weight, calorie count, composition, nutrient supplements, or vitamins that need to be added into the food. The exhibits need to be maintained, and filtration components checked and fixed when necessary. Water quality is tested and adjusted regularly. We keep immaculate records.

1973
Calvin Bancroft and his wife, Karey Miller Bancroft, are in Spring, Texas. Calvin was named Vice President of the commercial tanker division of Norton Lilly International in 2020. Prior to this, he was global manager, operations for Philips 66; regional manager, Shell Chemical Americas; and VP of fleet operations, Ocean Shipholdings, Inc.
1978
Steve Garland reports that he is retired. He and his wife, Evelyn, live in Lake Frederick, Virginia.
1979
Capt. Mike Donovan writes that he… “just got home in time for (COVID-19) shutdown. Spent most of February in a shipyard in Bahrain and flew out of Dubai in late February. After almost 41 years, that may have been my last trip to sea.”
1979
William S. Greenlaw is the new Regional School Unit 9 (Farmington, Maine area) Director of Support Services. He was Supervisor of planned maintenance systems for Carnival Cruise Line, headquartered in Miami, Florida. He and his family have moved to Carrabassett Valley.
1979
Capt. Everett Hatton just completed his fifth “Operation Deep Freeze” which resupplied the National Science Foundation base in McMurdo, Antarctica. Hatton is the master of the tanker Maersk Peary.
1980
David “DK” Horne reports he retired in 2013 as a senior engineering and project manager after 32 years for the Department of the Navy. DK and his wife, Grace, live in Berwick, Maine with their sons, Ray (MMA class of 2020) and Joe.
1981
Benjamin F. Crehore retired from the U.S. Navy in May, 2018 as a lieutenant commander following a 28-year career.
1982
Many thanks to Capt. John Gazzola for his dedicated years of service to the Delaware Valley Alumni Chapter. Capt. Gazzola has turned over the Conn to Tom Lord ’87.
1982
Alexander E. Forsley has been sailing with the American Maritime Officers Union since 1991. He spent the entire 2019 sailing season on the SS Badger as the 2nd assistant engineer. The Badger is a National Historic Landmark and is the last coal-fired, steam-powered ferry in America.
1983
John C. Janowicz is “…still shipping out after all these years. I’m currently the permanent master on the car carrier Alliance Norfolk managed by Maersk Line LTD for Horegh Autoliners.”
1984
Following class agent Dave Melin’s holiday message, numerous classmates reached out to one another, including Mike Brown. He, his wife Robin, and their dog, Poncho, sent best wishes and reports he is at MARAD headquarters, Washington, D.C.
1984
Speaking of Capt. Dave, he received a license to pilot vessels on the Salish Sea / Puget Sound, joining MMA alumni Scott Coleman ’00, Adam Seamans ’00, and Sandy Bendixen ’05. Dave announced Puget Sound Pilots is hiring; please let him know if you, or someone you know, is interested.
1985
Classmates Kevin Davis and Jake Jacobs met up at a recent Casco Bay Alumni meeting.
1985
Michael Siepert is a ship’s pilot for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
1985
Jake Jacobs, Class Agent, has informed the class their 35th reunion scheduled for June has been postponed. “We don’t know what the state of things will be in June, and common sense tells me that under ideal circumstances, we will be just getting back on our collective feet.”
1986
Andrew Lindey is the Master of the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), the hospital ship that arrived in New York Harbor in March initially to treat patients in the area with non COVID-19 health issues. As the pandemic’s contours changed, Comfort’s mission shifted as of press time, and the ship has now allocated 500 of its 1,000 beds for severe coronavirus cases.

“Everyone told me I was very lucky,” says Lindey. “I knew at a very young age what I wanted to do and going into the Merchant Marine was it. In 1986, when I got out of MMA, I joined the Military Sealift Command and I’ve been there ever since.”

Keeping the ship safe and in service during the pandemic is challenging, but noble work.
1988
Anthony “Dru” DiMattia, retired captain and vice president of the American Merchant Marine Veterans, forwarded the following announcement: The Russian Embassy is looking for the U.S. participants in the Arctic convoys during World War II to award them with the Ushakov medal, to veterans “for personal courage and valor shown while participating in the Arctic Convoys.” The Embassy is also looking for veterans, people, and organizations willing to cooperate with the Historic Foundation in St. Petersburg to create a museum dedicated to the history of WWII Arctic Convoys and make a film about the heroism of the Arctic Convoys participants. For more information, contact DiMattia: drudimattia@gmail.com.

See “Medals for Mariners,” for more on DiMattia and Merchant Marine Veterans.
1988
Pat Duffy ’88 (L) and Holly Najarian ’91 (C) served as support staff for Eric Smith ’88 (R) during the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim, held January 12, 2020. Smith has participated in this event for five years running; Pat and Holly, along with Tim Reid ’88 (not pictured) have been supporting him for all five years. This is an annual event that is now an official Navy SEAL Foundation fundraiser, and has raised more than $4 million for the Foundation. “TEAM MMA,” as they like to be called, has committed to raising $1 million over a decade for the Foundation! Eric is the COO for Brogan Financial in Knoxville, Tennessee.
1990
Jeff LePage recently had the pleasure of working along with other MMA graduates at a steam turbine overhaul project in Baltimore. (L to R): Steve Tardif ’00, lead engineer and project manager, GE/FieldCore for gas and steam turbines; Jeff Lepage ’90, co-owner of Steam Turbine Services, Inc., consulting; and John Rice ’08, corporate manager of technical services, Wheelabrator Technologies.
1990
Peter Rouleau has been appointed CEO of AESSEAL Inc. by its Board of Directors on January 1, 2020. Rouleau will replace Tom Grove who founded AESSEAL and helped build the business in the U.S. “It has been quite a journey since graduation from MMA in 1990,” says Rouleau. “I went to sea for a few years, worked in the power industry for a few short years, then got into the sealing business. I got married in 1993 to April, who has been my soul mate for 27 years, and we have two beautiful kids, Shane and Paige. I joined the AESSEAL team in 2005, and I can say this company has a passion for its people and its customers.”
1993
Michael Wardwell is the general manager for Tropical Shipping and lives in Palm City, Florida.
1996
Craig Murray is project manager for Wartsila. He and his wife, Cynthia, live in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. They have two children, Pace (26) and Baxter (23). Craig says hello and “it’s a good life.”
1998
After guiding MMA’s women’s soccer program for seven years and to their first-ever North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019, Mariners’ Head Coach Seth Brown has accepted a position with Gateway Title of Maine as a business development officer.
1999
Derek Robinson is port captain for the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Robinson, his wife, Teal-Rebecca, and daughters, Estella (12) and Catherine (7), live in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.
1999
John Holmes was promoted to managing director at Accenture in December, 2019. He works in the Industry X.0 practice with asset intensive companies combining emerging, connected and smart technologies to solve problems and digitally transform their industry. He lives in Flowery Branch, Georgia with his wife, Meghan, and daughter, Hannah. He reports, “We miss the ocean, but boat regularly on Lake Lanier.”
2000
Erin (Leathers) Overlock received her Master’s Degree in Education in 2018 from Thomas College and is a middle school science teacher in RSU 18 (China and Messalonskee district).
2000
In February, CDR Mike Dolbec was relieved as the commanding officer of USS Texas (SSN-775). Dolbec was in command of the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine for three years, during which Texas completed two deployments, an INDO-PACOM deployment and an extended CENTCOM deployment. His next assignment is to Submarine Group Eight in Naples, Italy. (Photo: CDR Mike Dolbec greeting his daughter, Amelia, at USS Texas return to Pearl Harbor following a 7-month deployment.)
2002
Shaylee White is a systems support analyst for Liberty Mutual and lives in Newmarket, New Hampshire.
2004
On October 28th 2019, lieutenant commander Carl Rhodes completed his assignment as the chief of operations of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Operations Center. He is re-assigned as the executive officer of the NOAA ship Fairweather, a hydrographic research vessel that primarily works in Alaska collecting data that is used to create NOAA charts.
2004
Sean Varney is sailing as a chief engineer with Crowley. He and his wife, Rhonda, former executive assistant to President Brennan, live in Gilbert, Arizona.
2006
Steven Ayigah ‘06 and Rebecca Garthwaite (sister of Oliver Garthwaite ‘06) were married in Rock Creek, Maryland on October 4, 2019.

Capt. David A. Sulin ‘71 officiated the ceremony. Mark Dittmann ’06, (who sent this photo), Steven Ayigah ’06, Capt. Dave Sulin ’71, Will Hood, Ian Corvo ’23, and Oliver Garthwaite ’06 were present.
2008
Lynda Doughty and her non-profit organization, Marine Mammals of Maine, were featured on CNN Heroes for her response, assistance and medical care of nearly 3,000 marine mammals. The segment aired March 5, 2020 and is archived at CNN.com (search Seal Rescuer).
2008
Jenna (Algee) Giguere attended law school after graduating from MMA and is the deputy chief of legal services for the State of Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation. Her current practice concentrates in the regulatory areas of liquor, banking, accountants, and cannabis. She holds leadership positions in the Rhode Island Bar Association and the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, and was recently selected as a community leader in the Leadership Rhode Island program.
2009
John Wustman and his wife, Lauren, have achieved their lifelong dream of owning a marina. They are the proud owners of Gale’s Ferry Marina in Ledyard, Connecticut. (Congratulations!)
2011
Kirstien M. Davidson says, “After staying at home for seven months, I decided to start my own business selling handmade jewelry and knit accessories on Etsy and at local craft fairs.”
2012
Sam Law, a Marine Transportation Operations major from Greenland, New Hampshire, will be making his debut this season on the reality show, “Wicked Tuna” aboard his boat FV Kraken out of Seabrook, New Hampshire. Law went to Portsmouth High School and has been a fisherman his whole life. “Wicked Tuna” is a series about commercial tuna fishermen based in Gloucester, Massachusetts and their quest for the lucrative Atlantic bluefin tuna. National Geographic Channel says the new season will be full of drama on the high seas, as the show follows a group of “salty fishermen from the nation’s oldest seaport.”
2012
Edwin Santana serves as the chief-of-staff for Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey, helping her to manage constituent issues. Santana formerly was with Whitney, Bradley, and Brown Inc., where he served as an operational logistics analyst. Prior to that, Santana served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. It was because of his strong sense of duty and concern that he ran for Congress in VA-01 in 2018. Santana holds a B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Power Engineering.
2013
Brett Baker is a field service engineer for Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis and lives in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.
2013
Melissa (Theriault) Lewis ’13 married Alexander Lewis on September 28, 2019 in Francestown, New Hampshire. In attendance was classmate and Maid of Honor, Autumn Jones.
2013
Hadley Neale has been working on various vessels associated with the American Sail Training fleet, primarily with teenagers sailing up and down the East Coast of Canada, the U.S., and the Caribbean. Neale is now aboard Maiden, a 58-ft aluminum-hulled racing yacht. Following a retrofit, the Maiden was re-launched and set sail in September, 2018 on a three-year world tour on behalf of the charity, “The Maiden Factor Foundation.” A principal project of the charity is to use Maiden to raise funds and awareness for girls’ education globally. When Neale is not sailing with students she is active in racing classics or delivering boats around New England and the Caribbean.
2014
Lt. Owen Mims, USCG, reports he and his wife, Mariclair, moved to Portsmouth, Virginia this past summer and welcomed Henry Mims, born November 14. Currently, Mims is a port state control officer and this summer will be moving over to domestic vessel inspections.
2016
Police Officer Taylor Grace was recently sworn in to the Hutchinson Police Department. Grace moved to Hutchinson in late August from Baltimore, Maryland. In 2018 he married his wife, Hannah Grace, and in that same year had a beautiful daughter, Rory Grace. Taylor moved to Hutchinson to be closer to his family and be part of a smaller close-knit community. Outside of work, Grace is an avid SCUBA diver and a big soccer fan. He’s had the opportunity to travel all over the country and is thankful for experiencing many things most people his age don’t get to experience.
2016
Ben Wallace and Aly Roy were married in September 2019. More than 20 MMA alumni attended the ceremony at Sunday River in Maine. Aly’s dad, Dave Roy, in an alumnus from the class of 1984.
2017
Parker Spear has traded in his trusty stick and pads for a clipboard and will be the Midcoast Ice Cats interim hockey coach for the 2019-20 season. The Ice Cats are a cooperative high school coed team that draws from high schools in Knox, Waldo, Lincoln and Kennebec counties in Maine. The Rockland native is a third mate deck officer for navigation and cargo operations for Overseas Shipholding Group. He spends his time largely working on tanker ships in the Gulf of Mexico
2018
IBL graduate Kelsey Nalette ’18 passed away unexpectedly in August 2018 in an auto accident, and fellow classmate Lyla Mathieu ’17 who works in supply chain management at Bath Iron Works has worked to help create the “Kelsey Nalette Spirit Award.”

“A few months before Kelsey graduated,” says Mathieu, “we were sitting in the Waypoint studying, and out of the blue, she broached the idea of setting up an award to be given out at Homecoming so that the recipient could use the funds at the beginning of the school year, when expenses and life is fully up in the air.”

Mathieu has followed through on the idea and initiated the award, to be presented annually to an MMA student who is designated as “someone who embodies Kelsey’s charisma, pride, and tenacity for life. She was a true Mariner.” To contribute, go to mainemaritime.edu/support-mma/ and choose “Other” under Designation. Enter the contribution in Kelsey Nalette’s name.
2018
Cristin Wright (second from left), a second-year graduate student at Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester, Virginia, met up with MMA Marine Science student Catherine Mahoney (left), professor LeAnn Whitney, and Marine Science student Katelyn Smith in February at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020 in San Diego. Wright presented a poster at the conference.